KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts
KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond
It’s been a political season in Texas like few others in recent memory. After a legislative session and four special sessions, where do we stand?
November 22, 1963: It was on this date 60 years ago that a sunny Friday in Dallas turned into one of the darkest days in the history of the United States. We’ll hear firsthand accounts from two who were there in John F. Kennedy’s presidential motorcade when shots rang out in Dealey Plaza, and the world held its breath.
Election season and property tax valuation season coincide in Texas as two constitutional amendments come up for a vote. As many Texas property owners see historic increases in their tax valuations, a pair of constitutional amendments come up that could provide some relief, but how much? And will it make a difference? Two reporters from the Texas Newsroom offer a primmer. Also, from five to just four days of school each week? Long a dream for many a student, many Texas school administrators are making the shift. We’ll hear why. And Texas-based presidential scholar Mark Updegrove reconsiders the legacy of JFK. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Two dead and five police officers wounded after a botched drug bust. Now the police chief in the state’s biggest city wants to end no knock raids, we’ll have the latest. Also, drug money and corruption rampant in Mexico, but also bad on this side of the border. We’ll talk to a reporter from the New York Times about how drug money’s greasing the wheels in the Rio Grande Valley. And a struggling elementary school in Odessa and a calculated risk to keep it from getting closed down. Plus The University of Texas tries to recend a PhD and a Texas judge says not so fast. We’ll get schooled on the matter. All those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Reversed: Texas’ Voter ID law once found to discriminate on the basis of race now gets the green light. So what forms of ID will you need to bring with you to the polling place? That won’t change. We’ll hear how the court came down and why. Also, remember gas prices closing in on 4 dollars a gallon? Would you be wiling to pay double that? A prediction that could make em smile in the Permian Basin, but put the big squeeze on SUV drivers. And those commercial DNA genealogy tests: could they be used against you in a court of law? A high profile case raising red flags. All those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
The UN and Amnesty International among the groups warning of a new move to green light the militarization of Mexico, we’ll have the latest. Also, NASA celebrating the discovery of a new planet in a solar system that looks not entirely unlike our own. But it’s how the discovery was made that’s a breakthrough unto itself, we’ll hear why. And on a fateful November day in Dallas, 1963, a secret service agent threw himself on top of the first lady to shield her from bullets. And for years blamed himself for the death of a president. Today, that agent, Clint Hill, joins us. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Were the Dallas police behind the JFK assassination? Khrushchev thought so. We’ll explore what we’re learning 54 years later. Also, an undocumented 10 year old with cerebral palsy undergoes surgery in Corpus Christi and is detained by Border Patrol agents waiting outside the hospital. We’ll hear from her attorney. And non disclosure agreements are part of everyday business, but are the enabling the Harvey Weinstein’s of the world? A law professor says Texas lawmakers need to take a closer look. Plus the way we talk about disasters, the week in politics and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
As Washington prepares to declare an opioid emergency, an Amarillo lawmaker is tapped to take on the issue for Texas. We’ll hear his plan on how to fix the crisis. Also, the recriminations between President Trump and gold star families, front and center in the news: but which is the sideshow? That controversy, or the actual events that led the the attack on American forces in Niger? We’ll explore. And Texans may love high school football, but most don’t remember where some of the best games were played, or who played them. The Thursday night lights finally gets some recognition, we’ll meet the man telling the story. And what we might learn this week about what happened in Dallas on that most fateful November day in ’63. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Amid talk of rigged US elections, Russia generously offers election monitors to Texas, we’ll follow the story. Also early voting begins next week, and judging by your messages to us: Texans have a lot of questions about the nuts and bolts. We’ll break out the tool kit, and check in again with our resident panel of still undecided voters. Also, on November 22nd 1963, at one of the most historic sites in Texas, nothing happened. Or so it might seem to travelers at Love Field. The mystery behind a missing monument. Plus the week in Texas politics, the talk of Texas and much more today on the Texas Standard: